Wow, 2008 has come and gone! It seems as you get older, the years pass by faster! 🙂 I feel that each day, week, and year is precious, and has its own distinct highlights to it. I would have to say that 2008 was a good year for the Freberg family in many ways. Here are some of the things that happened to the Freberg family:
- Dad (aka “The Skinny Chef”) continues to make fabulous cooking recipes that are just to die for! Frombeef stroganoff to chicken tetrazinni to baklava– Dad seems to do it all! I have suggested to Dad that he needs to write his own cookbook because I constantly get asked for his recipes. My friends are already asking me when Dad is going to come out to Tennessee so he can cook for them! 🙂
- Mom is doing great teaching her psychology courses at Cal Poly, and is just about to finish her second edition to her textbook! I am very proud of Mom for all of the hard work and dedication she put into her book and in her classes. Both Mom and Dad have been insprirations and role models to me, and I consider myself to be very fortunate to have them as my parents. 🙂
- Kristin went through her change of command in the Army– I am very proud of Kris for being so successful in the Army– she has really done an amazing job! Kristin came along with me to Beijing this past summer and we definitely saw everything! From the Great Wall to eating Peking Duck– we did China in style! She is now stationed in her second tour in Iraq and is doing very well.
- Karla continues to do well with her art, and set up her own web site www.vixdojo.com. Karla is very talented in art and I am always amazed with her drawings and animations– they are really great! 🙂
- Me: Well, this year has been a busy one! I finished my first year in the Ph.D. program in Tennessee (woo hoo!) and presented at three research conferences. The first conference I presented at was a poster at the UT Research Symposium, and my poster was tied for “Best Poster.” Very exciting! I also presented at the International Public Relations Research Conference in Miami in March. What a great conference! The last conference I went to was the Reputation Institute conference in Beijing, China. That was so beyond cool!!! The conference was fabulous and it was a great networking opportunity. Kristin came along with me and we had such a blast. 🙂 I also had the wonderful opportunity to work on PR Day 2008 (great success!) with their web site and being part of the committee. I also worked as a research and teaching assistant this past year, which was a great experience for me.
We are missing two family members that passed away this year (Grandma June and Uncle Leroy Sievers), we will always keep them fondly in our memories.
2009 in many ways is going to be an interesting year in many ways. Here are some things to look forward to:
- I will be finishing up my coursework for the Ph.D. program (omg!) and will take my comprehensive exams in the fall. Woo hoo!
- I am going to continue to submit research papers to various conferences. I have already been accepted to two so far for the upcoming year. One is APS in San Francisco, CA– and the other is in Athens, Greece. I am VERY excited about going to Greece- after South Africa and China– I have always wanted to go to (must have been watching the James Bond movie “For your eyes only” a few times!)
- I am going to continue to keep my grades high. My primary area in the Ph.D. program is in Public Relations, but my cognate area is in Marketing, so I am taking some pretty hard courses. But so far, my overall GPA is a 3.86.
- In November 2009, I would have been on Jenny Craig for three years. Wow, that is amazing! But it’s been great– and hopefully I will be down to my ultimate goal weight by then. 🙂 It’s been a long process, but well worth the results. 🙂
- Kristin will be home from her deployment to Iraq in the fall. Our family is working on all getting together to celebrate Kristin’s arrival and we are thinking that it would be fun to have a true White Christmas maybe in TN or Virginia. I am really looking forward to seeing Kristin again– we all miss her very much and are so proud of her. 🙂
Of course, when a new year comes along, we have to make New Year’s resolutions. What?! I know– it is that time of year, and I think that it is necessary. 🙂 Here are some of mine for 2009:
- I am going to continue my weight loss on Jenny Craig (two years plus now) and try to meet my ultimate goal weight of losing 100 lbs on JC. It might take some time, but it’ll be worth it! 🙂
- I am gong to continue to reward myself with taking various exercise classes. I have been taking kickboxing classes since June, and absolutely love them! They are so much fun and are a great workout!
- I am going to continue to learn and be up-to-date on the latest technologies. For PR professionals, we need to know what is going on in the world and the best way to communicate with our audiences. Also, I have always loved technology because it is fun and interesting! There are some stores where I could spend hours at a time looking at each product– one is See’s candies (well, what can I say? I am a chocolate foodie as well!), Neiman Marcus (love their shoes / handbags / clothes!) and the other is Best Buy or the Apple Store. 🙂
- I am all about being a student for life, and this means learning new skills. 🙂 For 2009, I am going to try to learn a couple of new skills. First, I have always wanted to learn how to ski– since Kristin wants to have a true White Christmas next year when she comes back from her tour in Iraq– well, I got to learn how to ski! 🙂 Second, I have always wanted to learn how to do cake decorating. I have always been a foodie at heart– and I think that the gift of food is so wonderful because it is personable and has so many meanings. My goal is to take a few courses in cake decorating and make one especially for Kristin when she comes home. 🙂
I hope that you all have a wonderful New Year– and I wish you all the very best for 2009. Take every opportunity to enjoy yourself– life is too short to be unhappy– life is wonderful and every day is precious. Invest in your family, friends, education, and skill sets. Explore new places and challenge yourself to try out new things! Think about what you can do today to make a difference– seize the day! 🙂 Good luck to the USC Trojans at the Rose Bowl, and Go Gators against the Oklahoma Sooners for the NCAA Championship game! 🙂 Have a wonderful day! 🙂
Best Wishes,
Karen
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